Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
Industryweek 24979 100917 Apple Ceo Tim Cook Justinsullivan2
Industryweek 24979 100917 Apple Ceo Tim Cook Justinsullivan2
Industryweek 24979 100917 Apple Ceo Tim Cook Justinsullivan2
Industryweek 24979 100917 Apple Ceo Tim Cook Justinsullivan2
Industryweek 24979 100917 Apple Ceo Tim Cook Justinsullivan2

Apple’s Cook in Paris to Meet Macron Amid Calls for Tech Taxes

Oct. 9, 2017
Despite setting out as a champion for tech companies, Macron and his ministers have been increasingly vocal about companies like Apple needing to change their ways.

Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook is in Paris to meet Emmanuel Macron, amid calls by the French President and European allies to change rules in the region to get technology giants to pay more tax.

Cook and Macron are due to meet on Monday afternoon, according to the French president’s public agenda. Macron is leading a group of countries — including Germany, Italy and Spain — that are seeking a way to plug the European loopholes that allow some companies to minimize taxes by shifting profits to jurisdictions such as Ireland or the Netherlands. 

Despite setting out as a champion for tech companies and flagging his desire to make his country “a startup nation”, Macron and his ministers have been increasingly vocal about companies like Apple, but also Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Facebook Inc., Amazon.com Inc. and Airbnb Inc. needing to change their ways. 

Macron said last month in Tallinn, Estonia, during a European Union summit, that internet giants don’t contribute to the common good.

Meanwhile online retailer Amazon.com last week was slapped with a European Union order to pay 250 million euros ($293.58 million) plus interest in back taxes to Luxembourg, becoming the latest U.S. giant to run afoul of the bloc’s rules on government subsidies.

The EU authority also said it’s suing Ireland for failing to recover a single penny of last year’s record 13 billion-euro ($15.27 billion) bill from Apple.

By Marie Mawad and Helene Fouquet

Popular Sponsored Recommendations

Empowering the Modern Workforce: The Power of Connected Worker Technologies

March 1, 2024
Explore real-world strategies to boost worker safety, collaboration, training, and productivity in manufacturing. Emphasizing Industry 4.0, we'll discuss digitalization and automation...

3 Best Practices to Create a Product-Centric Competitive Advantage with PRO.FILE PLM

Jan. 25, 2024
Gain insight on best practices and strategies you need to accelerate engineering change management and reduce time to market. Register now for your opportunity to accelerate your...

Transformative Capabilities for XaaS Models in Manufacturing

Feb. 14, 2024
The manufacturing sector is undergoing a pivotal shift toward "servitization," or enhancing product offerings with services and embracing a subscription model. This transition...

Shifting Your Business from Products to Service-Based Business Models: Generating Predictable Revenues

Oct. 27, 2023
Executive summary on a recent IndustryWeek-hosted webinar sponsored by SAP

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of IndustryWeek, create an account today!